🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer heard a supermarket was selling a recent beauty line that seemed comparable to products from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "super excited".

The shopper dashed to her closest store to buy the store-brand face cream for a low price for 50ml - a fraction of the £240 cost of the luxury brand 50ml product.

The streamlined blue container and gold cap of both items look noticeably similar. Although she has not tested the premium cream, she states she's pleased by the alternative so far.

Rachael has been purchasing skincare dupes from high street stores and grocery stores for a long time, and she's in good company.

Over a 25% of UK buyers report they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic alternative. This rises to nearly half among younger adults, based on a recent survey.

Alternatives are skincare products that imitate bigger name companies and present affordable alternatives to luxury items. They often have similar names and packaging, but in some cases the ingredients can vary substantially.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Better'

Skincare professionals contend some dupes to high-end labels are good standard and help make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think more expensive is always superior," comments consultant dermatologist a doctor. "Not every affordable skincare brand is poor - and not every premium beauty item is the finest."

"Some [dupes] are truly impressive," adds a podcast host, who runs a podcast about public figures.

Many of the products modeled on high-end brands "disappear so rapidly, it's just unbelievable," he says.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist Ross Perry thinks dupes are fine to use for "simple routines" like hydrators and cleansers.

"Dupes will be effective," he comments. "They will handle the basics to a reasonable standard."

Ketaki Bhate, thinks you can save money when seeking simple-formula items like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and squalane.

"When you're buying a single-ingredient product then you're probably going to be fine in opting for a budget alternative or something which is very low cost because there's minimal that can cause issues," she says.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Box'

But the specialists also recommend buyers check details and say that costlier products are at times worthy of the premium price.

Regarding luxury beauty products, you're not just covering the name and advertising - often the higher price also stems from the components and their grade, the concentration of the key component, the technology employed to produce the item, and tests into the item's efficacy, she explains.

Skin therapist Rhian Truman suggests it's worth thinking about how some alternatives can be priced so at a low cost.

Sometimes, she states they might contain less effective components that do not provide as many positive effects for the complexion, or the components might not be as well sourced.

"One big doubt is 'Why is it so cheap?'" she asks.

Commentator McGlynn says in some cases he's bought skincare items that appear comparable to a well-known brand but the actual formula has "no connection to the premium version".

"Don't be convinced by the container," he added.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For potent products or those with ingredients that can irritate the complexion if they're not formulated accurately, such as retinoids or vitamin C, Dr Bhate advises sticking to more specialised labels.

She explains these typically have been through expensive studies to evaluate how efficacious they are.

Beauty items are required to be evaluated before they can be available in the UK, notes expert Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company makes claims about the efficacy of the product, it requires data to support it, "however the brand doesn't always have to do the trials" and can alternatively reference evidence done by different brands, she adds.

Examine the Label of the Container

Is there any components that could indicate a product is poor?

Components on the label of the bottle are ordered by quantity. "Ingredients to avoid that you need to look out for… is your mineral oil, your SLS, fragrance, benzel peroxide" being {high up